When English football was obsessed with powerful, ‘traditional’ centre-forwards and two wingers, the Reds used Rush and Dalglish.

When Lee Chapman, Kerry Dixon and John Fashanu were the top flight’s sought after strikers, Liverpool used Beardsley, Barnes and Aldridge - an attacking axis that was all mercurial movement and mobility.

When Blackburn won the league with an SAS strikerforce – Shearer and Sutton - Liverpool used the RAC.

Alright, the name of a breakdown company is perhaps appropriate given how Rush and Clough stalled, but Liverpool refused to compromise.

The RAF stepped in, Rush and Fowler anything but aerial, followed by Fowler and Collymore, then Owen and Fowler.

Even when the six feet two inch Emile Heskey was recruited, he was an unselfish striker who did much of his best work outside the box.

Which is why the £35m swoop for Andy Carroll was so out of character – and so short-lived.

Brendan Rodgers reintroduced a flashback to what Liverpool did best, Sturridge and Suarez evoking memories of Liverpool’s very best split-striking partnerships.

And even when more traditional centre-forwards like Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert were foisted upon him, he rarely used them.

Which is why so many eyebrows were raised when Christian Benteke was signed.

Tim Sherwood, the manager who sold him, pointed out that only one Premier League team crossed the ball less than Liverpool last term, and they had just signed a player who had headed more goals than any other striker since arriving on these shores.

That headed tally stood at 16 last summer.

It has been improved by one since then.

Benteke doesn’t fit in at Anfield. And even the youngsters seem to know it.

Watch a re-run Sheyi Ojo’s first Liverpool goal on Wednesday night.

While the sheer joy of a youngster scoring his first goal in a red shirt, at the Kop End in exhilarating fashion, is heartlifting, Benteke’s reaction was heartbreaking.

The Belgian international pleads with Jordon Ibe for a pass. It’s only a short six yard ball, but Ibe ignores him and finds Ojo.

Benteke makes more space and pleads for a return. Ojo ignores him, too.

And when the youngster finally curls a sublime shot into the top corner Jon Flanagan and Jordon Ibe are first to offer their congratulations.

Benteke does get there. Eventually.

Whether Benteke’s Anfield career ever gets where he wants it to be is a different matter.

Jurgen Klopp sounded sincere when he declared “Stay cool. Of course he has a future, that is not a question.”

But the Reds boss added: “What we have to do is think what team fits together for the special game.”

Benteke was left on the subs bench for the special games against Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City.

He didn’t fit, just like he didn’t fit for the first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final either.

Watch: Mignolet interviews Benteke

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Big ‘target-men’, for want of a better phrase, don’t fit at Liverpool.

Andy Carroll, Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and now Christian Benteke cost a combined total of £87.5m – and have contributed 15 goals in 104 appearances.

Benteke has supplied the lion’s share of that total, seven goals – and he historically gets better in the second half of a season.

Last term he scored three goals before January 15 – 11 afterwards. In 2013/14 the split was five and six, and in 2012/13 it was six followed by 13.

But given his infrequent selections even at the height of an injury crisis, it looks like the only opportunities Benteke will be given to repeat that improvement will be in the Europa League or the FA Cup.

We will “stay cool” and we will watch out for Benteke’s future.

But it looks increasingly likely that that future may be away from Liverpool.